Nightmare Alley

"Nightmare Alley" is a 2021 neo-noir psychological thriller film based on the Guillermo del Toro – Kim Morgan screenplay adaptation of the William Lindsay Gresham 1946 novel of the same name, about the lurid, dark, shadowy world of a second-rate carnival filled with hustlers, scheming grifters, and Machiavellian femmes fatales. Set in the atmosphere of the ‘30s reflecting the bitterness and despair of the Depression, the scenes were filmed in and outside of Buffalo's Niagara Square and City Hall, and directed by Guillermo del Toro, staring Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, and David Strathairn. Theatrical release on December 17, 2021, running 140-minutes. Released on Blu-Ray and DVD on March 22, 2022. More than a remake of the highly awarded 1947 film of the same name staring Tyrone Power, the Guillermo production creates a new aesthetic in noir. And more than a pastiche ‘homage’ to the past, Guillermo's "Nightmare Alley" gives new meaning to neo-noir. The expanded storyline, the characterizations and the remarkable staging, the color of mood, tone, and atmosphere, the entire production is awesomely fascinating. We scrutinize every person, every aspect. The acting and settings are brilliantly engaging as if we are witnessing a present reality. Never disappointing. The Blu-ray-DVD is a 'must' for collectors of Guillermo del Toro movies.

A good movie, compelling to watch. However, too dark for me to watch a second time. I liked that it wasn’t over dramatic, but the darkness takes over. And crucial plot elements are weak, such as the main character allowing himself to be analyzed, w the sessions recorded no less, or the final “spook” scam not taking into account the mark’s most obvious response or his bodyguard’s more believable behavior - he wouldn’t have gone indoors to listen to the radio. I don’t think I’ll see Bradley Cooper again w/o identifying him w this part. His acting was excellent.

Bradley Cooper delivers a great performance in this film. He should've been nominated for an Oscar.

A stellar remake of the 1941 classic. Brand-new disc in unopened box. Nobody buys DVDs anymore, so the low price isn’t surprising…Great cast, good but disturbing story. Worth a look. WARNING: Repeated viewing of Giullermo del Toro’s films are now known to cause episodes of creative thinking, abnormal visionary conceptualization, and a marked increase in deep quasi-gothic imagination processes. Be advised…

Loved this movie!!!! Del Torro del does it again

A macabre storyline but features one of Cooper's best performances, especially the ending.

I am not the kind of reviewer who recaps the story. Plenty of other reviewers will do that for you. Nightmare Alley is a piece of Film Noir, and if you don't know, Film Noir are dark stories. Wikipedia says: "Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations." Nightmare Alley is certainly that. I especially like films from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Happy ending are not always expected. Plot twists are. Nightmare Alley is a 2022 film, and a 1947 film, both based on William Lindsay Gresham's 1946 novel of the same name, and it is absolutely one of my very favorites. It's about a carnival worker who aspires to being much more, but the lesson is a common one: be careful what you wish for. Now, the del Toro version of "Nightmare Alley" claimed they took their cues from Gresham's book, and was not intended as a remake of the black-and-white 1947 film, so maybe it's not fair to compare the two -- or the two films and the book. Too bad, I'm going there anyway. I have the 1947 criterion edition of Nightmare Alley, starring Tyrone Power and Joan Blondell. I also have the book, and I've seen and liked movies directed by Guillermo Del Toro, so my expectations were fairly high with this 2022 version of Nightmare Alley. The movie truly did not disappoint. First, like all movies based on books, the movies will always have shortcomings compared to the book, and both movies are no different. In fact something that truly amazes me is that in neither movie you never find out where the phrase Nightmare Alley comes from. Before reading the book I assumed it referred to the midway. Not so. To learn that you will have to read the book. There are other major differences between both movies and the book, as well as major differences between both movies. I know people you couldn't pay to watch a black & white movie, and if you're one, buy the 2022 del Toro version and enjoy. Neither film follows the book really closely. Realize that the 1947 version was hampered by censorship via the Hays Code which started in mid-1934. The movie was sanitized to have a lot less grit, and the ending totally modified. I don't know if the changes reflected post WWII attitudes, but even knowing the how extensive it was changed from the book, I still love that version, and interestingly, if you do a little research, you'll find that Tyrone Power was strongly advised not to do the film because it would damage his reputation and stardom, but he embraced it because he was afraid of being forever typecast as a pretty-boy leading man, and even though it was sanitized, it was still considered pretty gritty. If you love film and film noir, buy both versions as well as the book. I doubt you'll be disappointed. All three contribute to an understanding of the times they were made in. Just maybe read the book last. If I were only going to buy two, I'd personally buy the book and the 1947 version, because, to be honest: Bradley Cooper is no Tyrone Power. But that's just me.

This movie is set in the early 1940s in an old-time traveling Carnival, with a Sideshow that even has a "Geek." A fast-talking, phony "mind reader and spirit medium" joins the Carnival and works his way up to the High Society nightclub scene. He outsmarts himself and finds his way back to the Carny, in much worse condition than when he started. The photography is great. The characters are great. The movie is authentic 1940s - technically perfect. (I was a kid in the 40s.)

Difficile à trouver en ultrahd mais incontournable, juste pour la photographie du film, c'est splendide !

Excelente película de Guillermo del Toro.

Nice picture on this 4K disc but unfortunately the film isn't worth the added expense (stick with the standard Blu-ray). The film is far inferior to the 1947 original. I'm amazed how poorly staged it is, the terrible pacing and a pretty woeful cast of Hollywood millionaires pretending to be bums, and failing woefully.

Sorprendente historia de Guillermo del Toro, no debe faltar en tu colección.

Buena compra. Recomendable en todo aspecto.